The Doak Walker Award has been one of the most prestigious awards in all of college football since it was established in 1990, as it’s annually awarded to the most outstanding running back in the nation.
Future NFL stars such as LaDanian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and Jonathan Taylor lifted the Doak Walker Award during their collegiate careers, as did Heisman Trophy winners Ricky Williams, Reggie Bush and Derrick Henry.
As we approach the 2026 season, the race for the Doak Walker is certain to be an intriguing one. Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy is the wildcard of all wildcards as he tries to make his way back from a shooting in May, but he’s a surefire contender for the award if he can get back on the field in time. Florida’s Jadan Baugh is another candidate as he looks to build off his breakout freshman campaign at Florida last season, and BYU’s LJ Martin should also be in store for a monster season.
The consensus favorite heading into the season, however, is Ole Miss star Kewan Lacy. Lacy’s strong finish to the 2025 season propelled the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals, and he’ll be the centerpiece of their encore bid alongside quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
Breaking Down The Top Preseason Doak Walker Award Candidates
Without further ado, here are the top five contenders for the Doak Walker Award in 2026.
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Ole Miss’ playoff run allowed Lacy to get a couple extra games to pad his stats, but he did rank in the top three nationally in carries (306), yards (1,567) and touchdowns (24) for the Rebels last season. Lacy ran for 100+ yards in a game seven times as a sophomore and eclipsed the 135-yard mark five times, while also rushing for at least 2 touchdowns in 7 games. Lacy scored 3 rushing touchdowns three times last season, notably doing so in back-to-back games against Florida and The Citadel. In that game against Florida, Lacy ran for a career-high 224 yards on 31 carries.
Kewan Lacy is better than every running back in the NFL Draft and he’s not even the top back in the SEC. pic.twitter.com/a0Oj9vCUsp
— SEC Numbers Guy (@secnumbersguy) April 23, 2026
Jadan Baugh, Florida
Jadan Baugh was a consistent presence in Florida’s backfield with 1,170 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2025, but it was his 266-yard, 2 touchdown performance against rival Florida State to close the season that truly put him on the map as one of the elite ball carrying talents in all of college football. Baugh decided to stick with the Gators this offseason after the 4-8 campaign a year ago instead of jumping at some gaudy offers from some of his SEC rivals, so I’d expect to be handsomely rewarded with carries. It’s not like it won’t benefit the Gators, who don’t have much of an offensive identity yet as the team grapples with a quarterback battle.
Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
I mentioned earlier that Ahmad Hardy is the wildcard of all wildcards when it comes to his contention for the Doak Walker Award in 2026, simply because we just don’t know when he’ll return from the injuries he suffered in that May shooting. Hardy probably won’t be back for the very start of Missouri’s season, but the start of SEC play in September has been floated as a potential return date for the star running back. Hardy’s return will be crucial for the Tigers, considering he was the best running back in the country last season. He ranked second nationally with 1,649 yards and sixth nationally with 16 touchdowns, only trailing Jacksonville State’s Cam Cook by 10 yards for the national rushing title despite logging 39 fewer carries.
LJ Martin, BYU
Despite the fact that he’s coming off a Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year campaign, it seems like LJ Martin has gone a bit under the radar when discussing the best returning running backs in college football. Martin racked up 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns on 236 carries last season, leading BYU to a 12-2 overall record and a berth in the Big 12 title game. Martin may very well be asked to do more than any other running back in the country for the Cougars this season, and he proved last season that he’s an elite workhorse who compares favorably to the other top contenders for this award.
LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, was named Sporting News second-team Preseason All-America. pic.twitter.com/Ny1DP0cmlV
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) August 6, 2026
Mark Fletcher, Miami
Mark Fletcher didn’t put up the crazy regular season numbers that some of his other counterparts on this list did last season, but it became strikingly apparent during Miami’s run to the national title game that Mark Fletcher is one of the nation’s elite ballcarriers. Fletcher averaged 130 rushing yards per game in the Canes’ four playoff games and eclipsed the 100 yard mark in three of those games. Fletcher tallied a season-high 172 yards on 17 carries in Miami’s opening round win over Texas A&M and later scored 2 touchdowns in his team’s national title game defeat to Indiana.
